Saturday, 4 December 2010

Breakfast Pancakes

There are so many reasons that I love being a dad. I feel an overall sense of being lucky when I think about it too much.

Cooking with Cerys has always been high on the list of 'why I love being a dad'. Ever since she was old enough to sit up straight without falling over, I have had her in the kitchen with me prodding, poking, tasting and smelling which have all evolved 5 years on to moulding, shaping, more prodding and poking and lots of tasting and smelling. It is invariably messy business and that of course adds to the fun. This is education of the highest order, mixed with a lot of love and giggles.

One of our weekend treats are homemade pancakes. Not the thin ones you usually eat on Shrove Tuesday. I'm talking about the thick American pancakes, almost like a flat spongy cake that can soak up anything you add to it, whether that is butter and honey or the grease from a few slices of crisp bacon.

They are incredibly easy to make, 5 minutes from start to plate, just a cup of milk, flour and eggs. But the best bit is of course the sense of sharing with your children, giving them that responsibility and inevitable sense of pride once they have achieved a few of these magnificent breakfast pancakes. Feel free to experiment with flavours, such as adding a sprinkle of cinnamon or perhaps some lemon juice and sultanas. We like ours plain and simple, just like us.Breakfast PancakesMakes 12

1 - Tip the flour into a mixing bowl.
2 - Make a well in the middle of the flour and crack the eggs into it.
3 - Pour in the milk a little at a time whilst stirring. You are looking for the pancake batter to be the consistency of thick paint.
4 - Finally, stir in the fruit and spice (optional).
5 - Melt a little butter in a non-stick frying pan. Wipe clean with kitchen towel then add 2 tablespoons of the batter per pancake. Watch it carefully until small holes appear on the top of the pancakes, then it is time to flip. Cook for a further minute until golden brown then serve with your accompaniment of choice.

I love cooking with my kids. Particularly when we go in with no recipe and just concoct something fabulous by going through the cabinets and seeing what is available. If it sounds like it goes with whatever it is we are making, we add some! Most of the time, it comes out great!